Opening of Parliament delayed amid deal talks

The DUP have 10 seats, enough to give May's Tories a slim majority if they back them on every vote. People who think women should be denied abortions are in a small and ever-decreasing minority. "Politicians in Northern Ireland and at Westminster must heed this demand for change".

In addition to these fears, rumors regarding the deal seem to suggest that the DUP will not enter a full coalition with the Conservatives, only backing the Tories on key Brexit issues.

"We will go in to speak with Sinn Fein again on Monday morning to try and get that set up as quickly as possible, because devolution works and works for everybody in Northern Ireland".

In a letter to the Chancellor, Mr McDonnell said: "I am writing to ask whether the Government has been asked for this measure by the DUP, has agreed to it or is considering it".

Conservative Party sources say May wants to show her government is up and running but her loss of authority in last week's election will make it harder to handle a hectic agenda - Brexit talks with the European Union, tackling a slowing economy, a political crisis in Ireland, and a devastating fire in London.

Mrs May held talks at Downing Street with the other Northern Ireland political parties in an attempt to allay growing concerns that the expected DUP deal would undermine the peace process.

He said: "Any deal which undercuts in any way the process here or the Good Friday and the other agreements is one which has to be opposed by progressives".

Almost a fifth of the UK's food and drink exports go to the Republic of Ireland and in March industry bodies from across the British food and drink sector wrote an open letter to various government departments calling for "frictionless" tariff-free trade with Ireland to continue post-Brexit.

'And we told her very directly that she was in breach of the Good Friday agreement and we itemised those matters in which she was dilatory or in default in relation to that agreement'.

"The risk is that Northern Ireland continues to fail to find solutions, and potentially the peace process unwinds", Usherwood said.

May has said the divorce talks, likely to be the most complex in Europe since World War Two, will begin as planned next week and her Brexit minister, David Davis, said Britain's negotiating position was unchanged. Business leaders say the uncertainty means they are having to plan on the assumption that Britain leaves without a proper deal.

May has dismissed calls to resign following the dismal election result after calling a vote three years early in the hope of bolstering her slim majority, only to actually lose seats.

"We made it very clear that any package on restoring power-sharing that is delivered, there has to be a strong financial package to allow us to deliver good public services when we get the Executive up and running again".